Fly tying is in our DNA at Little River Outfitters. You can tell the minute you walk into our shop. We have a very large fly tying department. You will notice the classroom upstairs, where we hold our fly tying classes during the Winter months. You will also see that we offer free fly tying demonstrations on Saturdays during the Winter. Fly Tying is very important to Little River Outfitters and our customers.

I am designing this section of our website for fly tying articles and tutorials. Here, you can hone your skills, find new patterns to tie or see what it is like to tie a fly. This is the home page for our fly tying and fly pattern articles. As of December 26, 2012 we are beginning this endeavor and this page and it’s articles will grow quickly. Check back once a week. There will probably always be something new. Contributors will include me, Steve Yates, Kent Edmonds and others. So, click on an article and enjoy.

This collection of articles and tutorials will appeal to trout anglers, those who fish for warmwater species and even saltwater fly fishermen. As this collection grows, you will see that.

Byron Begley

Byron’s Knucklehead

I came up with this idea in 2011. I had been using Kent Edmond’s Stealth Bomber with much success for smallmouth bass. I wanted another fly with slightly different characteristics. Over a period of months, the Knucklehead was perfected. Over a period of a year it was tested on lakes, tailwaters and freestone streams. Though it was designed to be a smallmouth bass fly, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that anglers were catching trout using the Knucklehead. It is also very effective for largemouth bass, large bluegill, shellcrackers and rock bass. This is a very good fly, it is easy to tie and it is durable. Learn more by CLICKING HERE.

Making Poppers the Easy Way by Byron Begley

I started fly fishing in 1962. As an 11 year old, living on a farm in Kentucky we had very few trout fishing opportunities there. So, in the beginning, I did much of my fly fishing for bass and bluegill. I always loved fishing with poppers and I still do. Bob Clouser showed me how to make poppers using foam cylinders. He called them EZ Poppers. These poppers are very durable and they catch fish like crazy. My favorite colors are black and chartreuse. You can enjoy this hobby and catch more warmwater fish by CLICKING HERE.

Tying the Puglisi Threadfin Shad by Byron Begley

This fly is one of the most effective streamers I have ever used in the South. It works well in the Threadfin Shad's range from Kentucky to the East, West and South. All our our lakes and tailwaters have threadfine shad as the forage fish of choice for all gamefish including trout and smallmouth bass. These flies can take up to an hour to tie but they are worth it. I rank it in the top five flies for smallmouth bass. CLICKING HERE AND LEARN TO TIE THIS FLY .

Tying Kent's Stealth Bomber by Byron Begley

This is one of the best bass flies you can own. It was invented by Kent Edmonds from Georgia. He designed it for shoal bass fishing. This fly's popularity is amazing. This fly works. What I describe in this tutorial is the original version of the fly. The foam body is cut using straight lines. A newer version has a curved head and you really need body cutters designed specifically for this pattern. I've fished with these flies tied using the original method and they work great. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TYING TUTORIAL.

Tying The Sand Shrimp by Byron Begley

It happened two weeks ago, one more time. Paula and I fished in Florida and caught most of our fish on a Sand Shrimp. We caught more speckled trout than anything else but on other trips to the coast, this fly performed well for redfish. I’ve caught many inshore species on this fly including, flounder, sheephead, trout, redfish, ladyfish, jacks and Spanish mackerel. In clear water, this is my go to fly in the Gulf of Mexico. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TYING TUTORIAL.